National Museum of Science & Industry appoints new Director

10/09/2010

The Prime Minister has today (9 September, 2010) appointed Ian Blatchford as the new Director and Chief Executive of the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI), the national museum group which oversees the Science Museum, the National Railway Museum and the National Media Museum.

Ian Blatchford, currently Deputy Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, will take up his appointment in October 2010 with overall responsibility for the strategic direction of the NMSI group, following the retirement of Andrew Scott CBE on 30th September 2010.

Making the announcement, Dr Douglas Gurr, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NMSI said, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Andrew for the outstanding contribution he has made over the past 16 years and to wish him and his family the very best in his well deserved retirement. We are all sorry to see Andrew go but are delighted to welcome Ian as the new Director of NMSI and excited about the leadership he will bring. The next few years will present challenges for the whole sector, but Ian has absolutely the right mix of museum experience, drive and passion to ensure these great museums can continue to thrive and flourish.”

Ian Blatchford will lead a team which includes the Directors of each of the three constituent museums. The Museums attract a combined total of over 4 million visitors a year and care for over six million objects, making NMSI one of the largest national museums.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said, “I’m delighted to welcome Ian Blatchford as the new Director of the NMSI. I’m confident that his wealth of experience, knowledge and commitment to a strong future for museums will prove a real asset.”

Ian Blatchford said, “I am delighted by the opportunity to lead NMSI through exciting, albeit challenging, times ahead. Many innovative projects are in development at all three Museums and their engaging stories about science and technology are so inspiring and relevant for our times.”

Ends

Press enquiries only: For further information contact the Science Museum press office on 020 7942 4328. Image available on request.

Notes to Editors

About the National Museum of Science & Industry

The NMSI family of museums presents and cares for some of the greatest collections of their kind in the world. The group comprises the Science Museum in London, the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon, and the National Media Museum in Bradford. The six million artefacts under its stewardship cover the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, transport, visual media and related arts. They range from Crick and Watson’s original DNA model to Stephenson’s Rocket, from the Flying Scotsman to John Logie Baird’s original television apparatus. Each year NMSI museums attract a total of over four million visitors. NMSI is an executive non-departmental public body whose parent body is the Department of Culture Media and Sport.

Ian Blatchford

Ian Blatchford has been the Deputy Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum since December 2004 and has worked for the museum since April 2002 when he joined as Director of Finance & Resources.

He started his career in the City, working at the Bank of England and the merchant bankers Barclays de Zoete Wedd, before the joining the Arts Council, where he was Deputy Finance Director. He then joined the marketing and design agency Cricket Communications as Financial Controller before becoming Director of Finance at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1996.

He read law at Mansfield College, Oxford and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

He also holds an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London.

He is a Governor of De Montfort University and a Trustee of the London School of Osteopathy.